Rise of the Neighbourhood Foodpreneur will be the Next Big Thing, Reveals a latest report

“Home-cooked food, coupled with eating local and seasonal, will dominate culinary conversations and preferences in the year ahead,” says the latest report named Godrej Food Trends 2020. The report was revealed at the 4^th Tasting India Symposium event at The Leela Ambience Hotel in Gurugram on Thursday.  

The report was unveiled by its author, food writer and trend-spotter Rushina Munshaw Ghildyal, and C.N. Nageshwaran, Deputy General Manager, Corporate Communications, Godrej Industries Ltd, in the presence of of hoteliers, restaurateurs, chefs, farmers, hotel management teachers, journalists and bloggers.

Over the past three years, the Godrej Food Trends Report has been growing in its scope. This year, the third edition is wider, bigger and deeper than ever before.

Ghildiyal and her team reached out to more than 150 food business experts in 13 different cities this year, and the author visited cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata for in-depth discussion with celebrity chefs, home and professional chefs, food writers and bloggers, health professionals, mixologists, nutritionists, restaurateurs, sommeliers, and food producers, who shared deep insights about their respective areas of expertise.

Speaking about the report, Nageshwaran said, " We had embarked on this journey two years ago with our first edition and it is heart-warming to note that 2020 will see the rise of neighbourhood 'foodpreneurs', the revival of culinary traditions, and a proliferation of desi flavours in everything, from small plates to cocktails, and even desserts.”

"When it comes to food, Indians have always preferred ghar ka khana. But the growth of technology is shaping what we eat. It is not only giving a big boost to the food processing industry, but also enabling home chefs become foodpreneurs. We are hopeful that the Godrej Food Trends Report grows to become a ready reckoner for anyone who is associated with the food industry,” he further adds.

Survey designer and writer Munshaw-Ghildiyal, Managing Director, A Perfect Bite Consulting LLP, said, “The Godrej Food Trends Report, conceptualised as a guide to help Indian food businesses navigate where to invest their resources to meet strategic goals, is the only report of its kind that reaches out to thought leaders across the Indian food industry to gather quantitative and qualitative responses.”

"This year, we travelled across India to map out regional trends, which were collated, analysed and distilled into top trends that will prevail in the year to come. In 2020 the food industry will continue to draw inspiration from the home kitchens and the rise of the neighbourhood foodpreneur will be the next big thing. Food Travel and Sustainability, topics that originated as trends, have grown into vibrant conversations today," Ghildiyal explains.

Meanwhile, Sourish Bhattacharyya, Co-Founder and Director, Tasting India Symposium, says, "India is a complex country, as complex as its multiplicity of cultures and cuisines. And with the proliferation of the F&B business across the country, with millions of dollars riding on restaurant chains with their bases mostly in Delhi or Mumbai, and several million people dependent on it for their livelihood, finding one's way through this maze is no longer an academic exercise. It is serious business.”

"That is why the Godrej Food Trends Report has been getting the attention of decision-makers in the F&B business. It helps them understand where people's taste buds are moving and how they are responding to different tastes and flavours. In a country where Delhi responds to chillies differently than Bangalore, where Mumbai's favourite fish is different from that of Kolkata, it helps to understand the how and the why. It also helps not to confuse the fads for the trends. And it helps to understand what people really mean when they espouse a cause,” he adds.